Hate ‘mainstream’ in Massachusetts schools

Tuesday

Hate speech and bias-motivated incidents, not all of which rise to the level of a crime, are growing at an alarming rate in public schools and educators say the numbers only tell part of the story.

“It is more likely that the number of actual incidents and number of students impacted are under-represented because many incidents are not reported,” said Fara Wolfson, a middle school teacher and co-chairwoman of the No Place for Hate Committee in Salem.

In recent months, stories of hate-related incidents have spilled out of the schools and into the news. In November, a 10-year-old Muslim student at Hemenway Elementary School in Framingham received hate letters, including one threatening to kill her.

Swastikas were found at Masconomet High School in Boxford, and school officials found the words “Gas the Jews” at a Reading middle school in June.

Fourteen students were suspected of breaking into Arlington High School and vandalizing school property with homophobic and anti-Semitic graffiti in May.

The Anti-Defamation League estimates the number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2017 totaled 93 in Bay State schools, nearly doubling from 50 in 2016.

At the same time, at least one hate crime -- a legal offense -- is reported every day in Massachusetts and that number is growing. The FBI in November released 2017 hate crimes statistics showing the number totaled 427 in Massachusetts, increasing 9 percent from 2016 and 20 percent from 2010.

“This is not a Framingham problem. This is not a Hemenway problem. This is a pervasive problem around hate that we have to take a stand on and address,” said Schools Superintendent Robert Tremblay in Framingham.

Organizations, including The National Association for Advancement of Colored People, agree these incidents are not one-offs, but rather indicative of a trend becoming ever-more prevalent across the country. The advocacy group in June said Republican President Donald Trump is at least partly responsible, saying, “There is a direct relationship between a rise in hate crimes and President Donald J. Trump’s xenophobic and racist policies.” The president has also been criticized for emboldening white supremacists.

In Massachusetts, an alt-right group called Patriot Front is suspected of disseminating fliers in support of white supremacy in multiple communities. A group of Worcester residents protested the organization in August.

Robert Trestan, ADL New England regional director, however, said the proliferation of hate is bigger than any single person.

“Hate has become mainstream,” said Trestan. “Students have access to this vitriol. Whether it’s on their phones, television, social media, or they hear people saying it, everyone has the same access to the same information and images in today’s world.”

The trend has caught the attention of Republican Gov. Charlie Baker.

“We all agree that hate crimes have no place in our commonwealth and that we must do all we can to combat them,” Baker wrote in a Nov. 19 letter to police chiefs.

The governor, recently elected to a second term, is urging all law enforcement agencies to designate at least one civil rights officer who would report any criminal act that appears to be motivated by bias. Additionally, Baker has asked the Municipal Police Training Committee to develop a related training course.

The recommendations came out of a Hate Crimes Task Force the governor assembled last year, and the dedicated officers could go a long way toward better reporting of hate crimes.

According to the FBI, there were zero hate crimes reported in 197 Massachusetts cities and towns where 2.9 million people live, including Fall River, Brookline, Weymouth and Marlborough.

“Some of those places you have to wonder if there are problems that maybe aren’t being reported,” Trestan said.

In schools, Wolfson said teachers, families and administrators need to assume more responsibility and find more ways to create an atmosphere where diverse ideas are encouraged, but hate is not.

“As educators, as parents or guardians, and as adults in the community, we have a responsibility to do more because we are asking kids to stop being bystanders. So we need to stop being bystanders,” Wolfson said.

Eli Sherman is an investigative and in-depth reporter at Wicked Local and GateHouse Media. Email him at esherman@wickedlocal.com, or follow him on Twitter @Eli_Sherman.